Davis stayed away from the 49ers' voluntary offseason sessions and then held out of the team's mandatory minicamp last month. Davis, who is the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL, wants a new contract.

The 49ers are likely not inclined to give Davis a new deal because he is 30, and they've given him a big contract in the past.

One player happy to see Davis is quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who didn't seem too worried about his top target.

"Vernon's a Pro Bowl tight end. He's one of the best in the league," Kaepernick said. "There's not going to be too much of a falloff for him. I don't think anyone is concerned about that. We're just happy he's here. Vernon is not the type of person that's going to walk out on his team like that. He's a good guy. He's done a lot for this organization, and he's made a lot of great plays for us. "

Davis often publicly wavered during this holdout. Last month he said it wouldn't be "the end of the world" if he didn't get a new deal. An NFL source said Tuesday night that Davis was likely headed to camp because he didn't want to incur a daily fine of $30,000 for missing training camp practices.

Whereas Davis is back with the 49ers, guard Alex Boone is expected to continue his holdout into training camp. An NFL source said Boone plans to stay away from the team until he gets a new contract.

Boone, 27, is considered a top guard, although he is the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL. The two sides are not close on a new contract.